About

My main practice is figurative, working from life. The presence of a model compels certain choices and I like to work within those constraints, trying to decide what it means to be faithful to the objects in front of me. There is also a contemplative aspect — each object has a suchness that asks to be celebrated.

Although I have had a long-standing interest in life drawing, more recently I have focussed on drawing and painting still life compositions. The participants in these compositions are usually everyday objects, including teacups, water bottles and milk cartons.

Most of my current work is carried out with oil paint, on heavy paper or on wooden boards. I am exploring different colour ranges (from exuberant to quite desaturated) and different levels of opacity and paint thickness. The materiality of paint is a counterpoint to the individuality of the objects portrayed.